Egusi was the fastest-rising food item in Lagos in September. A big bag of melon seed moved from ₦370,000 in August to ₦480,000 in September, an increase of ₦110,000 or 29.73%, according to the Nairametrics Food Price Watch published on 2 October 2026. The monthly survey covers 67 staples at Mushin, Daleko, Mile 12 and Oyingbo markets.
Why Egusi Is Running
Traders say the issue is who is buying, not how much was grown. "People think there is no egusi, but that is not the issue. Some large buyers now move into producing areas and purchase harvests from several hectares at once," Mr. Onyeka, an egusi trader at Oyingbo Market, told Nairametrics. When bulk buyers take the crop at the farm, less of it reaches the open market and the price there climbs.
Tomatoes Turn Higher
Tomatoes also rose on the month. A big basket of oval tomatoes went from ₦70,000 to ₦80,000, up 14.29%, and a big basket of round tomatoes rose from ₦40,000 to ₦45,000, up 12.5%.
Cooking Oil Creeps Up
Every cooking oil in the survey became more expensive. Power Oil in the 2.6 litre size rose 10.77%, from ₦9,750 to ₦10,800. Local palm oil rose 6.25% to ₦8,500 for five litres and 2.13% to ₦48,000 for 25 litres. Local vegetable oil rose 4.76% to ₦11,000 for five litres and 1.84% to ₦61,000 for 25 litres. A carton of local frozen chicken laps rose 6.67%, from ₦45,000 to ₦48,000.
What It Means for the Pot
Egusi, tomatoes and oil go into the same pot. A household cooking egusi soup in September paid more for the seed, more for the tomato base and more for the oil than it did in August, even as many other staples in the same markets became cheaper.
Live prices for Lagos markets: foodprices.ng/real-time-prices